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Most of our features on conversion in the human capital marketplace are presented from the POV of hiring companies, rather than candidates for positions. However, today we'd like to focus on a new service that claims to provide competitive intelligence to candidates hoping to convert an interview into a job offer.

According to a recent article in the Boston Globe, the service, "Puvu.com, which started up last year, offers ''job interview reports" on about 100 Boston-area companies for purchase. The reports offer applicants insight into what an interview for a position was like, including examples of specific questions asked."

The people at Puvu.com are willing to pay recent interviewees $40 for a detailed report of their interview experience. Once a database (?) of interviews for a given company is assembled, Puvu.com makes money by selling company reports to aspiring applicants ($19.95) or by selling reports to the hiring company or its competitors for $79.95.

The founder of the company is Ashot Hayrapetyan, a 25-year-old whose own interviewing experiences provided him with both the idea and the impetus to give job seekers like himself a more "level playing field" in the interview process.

Is it worth $19.95 to get a better idea of what you might face in an interview? Is it a problem for future employers (who are often impressed when a prospect does company research prior to an interview)? We'd like to know. Send us your comments!

When the weekend rolls around, we try to escape from the office and clear our heads. This past weekend, the big escape for many was the Clash of the Titans (Steelers/Seahawks); however, for a hard-core group of local enthusiasts, the main event happened on Saturday in not-so-far-away Jamaica Plain, MA. We're referring, of course, to the NEBSRA (New England Belt Sander Racing Association) Winter Nationals held February 4, 2006 at the "SanderDome" (Kenyon Woodworking) in JP.

Playing to a packed house (was it the free beer, or the tang of sawdust that drew them?) racers showed their stuff in the stock and modified divisions. With racers covering the required distance (2 abreast on the one-foot-wide straightaways) of 50' (stock) or 75' (modified) in times averaging 3.6 seconds, the thrills were short-lived but sweet. (Check out the blurred picture of a race in progress).

And the fans, not unlike their distant cousins at NASCAR events around the country, were well advised to stay clear of the track. This was especially true in the area beyond the finish line (see picture below) where the unwary could find themselves up close and personal with 30+ lbs. of runaway metal and sandpaper.

Although there was a shock-corded backstop to stop the BS (belt sanders) at the end of the race, some of these unwieldy beasts have been known to jump the track, and pick a random flight path into the crowd. The organizers, intent on having a safe and fun event, repeatedly warned spectators to stand back behind the red "line of death." Most complied, but some eager photographers had to be warned off repeatedly.

What caught our attention, of course, were the masterful "conversions." In this case, we're referring to a standard Craftsman or (better) DeWalt belt sander, fully tricked out (with forward and aft guidebars to stay on the tracks) and streamlined. Well, at least some were streamlined - other entries (particularly an homage to Elvis) would put Rose Parade floats to shame!

For those who missed the big event of the weekend past, we sincerely recommend that you bookmark the NEBSRA site and plan to come to the next event. Our appreciation goes out to the organizers (who support Community Servings with door donations) and to all the racers, their families and assorted camp followers who made this a spectacle for the ages.

On January 19, the Human Resource Leadership Forum hosted an old friend, David Ulrich, who has returned to the field of human resources research and consulting after serving his church in Canada for the past 3 years. For those of you who have worked with Dave, please note that he looks great (see picture) and as expected, has hit the ground running.

His latest book, co-authored with Wayne Brockbank, The HR Value Proposition, is a great read for anyone interested in building company value through management of the "intangibles." Dave keyed his discussion off the book's content, but was at his best, as usual, when fielding questions from the audience, which in this case is primarily highly placed HR executives from firms in the Boston metro area.

One of the more interesting charts that Dave presented during his discussion illustrated the range of options that executives have for acquiring and deploying talent. He suggests looking well beyond the hiring game (which is once again becoming really expensive), and considering which of the six "B's" below makes the most sense, given current talent and duration of need:

Buy - Acquiring talent from outside the firm

Build - Increasing capabilities of incumbents through training, education or work experience

Bound - Moving the right talent up the organization, as needed.

Borrow - Partner with consultants, customers, vendors or suppliers to get talent on an as-needed basis

Bounce - Remove low or under-performing individuals (which sends a positive message to the people who are doing a great job)

Bind - Do what's necessary (like having "stay interviews") to keep the talent you must retain.

For those of us who focus on conversion in the human capital marketplace, Dave's "B's" really make sense. If we can keep the talent we've got by (a) deploying people where they feel they are making a big contribution, (b) educating them so that they see our commitment to their growth and (c) rewarding them in ways that really recognize their value, we can save a bundle.

Wish We'd Said It First

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.